To link to the entire object, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed the entire object, paste this HTML in websiteTo link to this page, paste this link in email, IM or documentTo embed this page, paste this HTML in website

Mt. Vernon Democratic banner (Mount Vernon, Ohio : 1853), 1863-01-03

page 1

( f VOLUME XXVI. MOUNT VERNON, OHIO: SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1863. NUMBER 88 lit S I f if I yr-LSS M I ; I W H I til 1111 It S)c gemocralic fanner is rrsusnED evkht satithday morxing bt L. HARPER. dfllec in Woodward lllock, 3d Story. TERMS. Two Dollars per annum, payable in ad-Yunee; $2.50 within six months; $3.00 after the expiration of the year. lie Ucttiflwatif EDITED BY L. HARPER. A Grand Truth. The Chicago Tones utters a grand truth in the following qu. tation a truth as patent to all unprejudiced minds as the light of the sun At noonday: Abolition is the primary cause of our difficulties not slavery. Slavery was entitled to be let alone within its proper sphere, abolitionism arose and undertook to teach the people that the Union could not survive half slave and half free. Then appeared secession and between the two abominations the Union is in deadly peril. It is the mission of the Democracy joined by other conservative people, to bring it out of this terrible chaos. We pray Democrats never for a single moment to loose eight of this grand truth. A Word for Peace. j The Hon. W. B. Reed, of Philadelphia, recently wrote a letter to a festival in Berks Co., IiM in celebration of the recent Democratic victories, in which he speaks out boldly and plainly as follows : " It is my firm belief that the paramount wish of the North is for peace though timidity, or considerations mistaken in my opinion of expediency, prevent them from saying so. It has been part of the polidy of the Administration to crush out this craving of a common humanity and to denounce as traitors those who think as I do, that blood tnough has been shed already. This has been acquiesced in too long. There are thousands who think with me whose property is endangered whose industry is paralizcd fathers and mothers who are anxious for the return of their children from the battle-field, or waiting for the stern doom that takes from them those who are left at home. Their prayer will soon nd utterance ind the community, weary of war and blood shed weary of debt and taxa-atiou, of the tax-collector and the recruiting tergeant weary of the ambulance of the wounded and the hearse of the dead will hail with testacy beyond control the hour when flags of permanent truce shall be displayed at Washington and "Richmond. I am old enough to remember the peace of 181G, and the joy it excited; but it was as nothing in comparison with what ours will be when this brothers' war is orer. Jeff. Davis' Proclamation. Jeff. Davis has issued a retaliatory Trocl; mation, dated Richmond, Dec. 23d, which ie Qver a column long. He declares that Gen. Butler and all his officers are to be hung if taken, all soldiers taken to be paroled ; negroes found with arms to be immediately hung; federal officers found with slaves also to be hung. Daves declares Butler a felon, deserving cap ital punishment, and orders that he be no longer considered or treated as a public enemy, but an outlaw and common enemy to mankind, and when captured the officer capturing him will instantly hang him ; also no commis-lioned United States officers taken, to be released on parole before exchange, until Butler ahall have met punishment for his crimes, and that all commissioned officers in the command of Butler shall be declared not entitled to be considered as soldiers engaged in honorable warfare, but robbers and criminals deserving death, and that each of them whenever captured, be reserved for execution. Only two Parties. There are only two parties in this country the Union and disunion party. To the Union party belongs the Democracy, the old line Whigs, and a meagre sprinkling of those who have heretofore been acting with the Republican party. On the side of disunion, are ran-gedthe Republican or Abolition party, and the secessionists. If there are traitors in the land, they arejfound in the disunion party. A disunionist can not be a patriot. What a Figure must our Administration Cut before the World! Mr. Seward, writing to Mr. Dayto.v, our Minister at Paris, April 22d, 18G1 says: " TJie condition of Slavery in the several States will remain just the same, whether it (the revolution) succeed or fail. There is not even a p-etext for the complaint that the disaffected States are to be conquered bv the United States, and the condition of every hu man being m them, will remain subject to exactly the same lairs and forms of administration, whether the revolution shall succeed or whether it shall fail. In one case, the States would be federally connected with the new Confederacy ; in the other, thev would, as now be members of the United States ; but their constitutions and laws, customs, habits, and institutions, in cither case, will remain the same. It is hardly necessary to add to this in contestible statement the further fact that the new President, as well as the citizens, through whose suffrages he has come into the Admin istration, have always repudiated all designs whatever, and wherever imputed to him and them, of distributing the system of slavery as it is existing under the Constitution and laws. The case, however, would not be fully presented if J. were to omit to say that any such effort on his part would be unconstitutional, and all his actions in that direction would be prevented by the judicial authority, even though they were' assented to by congress ana the people." We published this letter at the time, and eaid we should hold the Administration to thw avowal. Mr. Seward wrote this under the sanction of the President and in his name What now arc these men doing? Violating their pledges to the world and the American people I Is it any wonder that foreign nations treat this Administration with contempt. Crisii. Bold Talk. From the New Tork ExpresB, 23d inst. THE VIEWS OF GOVERNOR SEYMOUR. The Philadelphia Press is pleased to impute some reported views of Governor Seymour to be put forth in his message, to the New York Express when we know nothing of what the Governor is going to say, beyond what we clearly infer from the principles which elect him, one of which certainly is, "JVo more Arbitrary Arrests in Xew York.' What course the Governor will take upon the draft, if any, we do not know, and have never hcaid. But, cays the Press, insolently, considering the position of its editor, as an officer of the United States Senate: "If the President deems it proper to order a dratt, the draft will be made; and if Governor Seymour dares to oppose it on any pretext he will be held to a strict and unrelentingaccoun-tability. The time has passed when any State, or the authorities of any State, can threaten the General Government; and the time will never come when an ambitious and unfrienly Governor will be allowed to assail the Supreme Executive with impunity. This may as well be understood." But, why has not this language been held to Governor Morgan, who has paid but 6light attention to the order for the draft? The Abolitionsts of the Uhited States Sen-ate, in whose behalf, perhaps, Mr. Forney thus speaks of States, and States authorities, have now States enough on hand in rebellion; and they are doing all they can to add on Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware. Do they desire to increase the number by New York and New Jersey, eastward, and Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, westward? We shall see how Forney will digest that ! We hope he understands it. Letter from Ex-Governor Reynolds, of Illinois, to General Sam. Houston. We publish below an interesting letter from Ex-Governor Reynolds, of Belleville, Illinoii, to General Sam Houston, of Texas, under date of December 8th, 18G2. The letter is well worth the perusal of our readers. If we had the old men of the former generation in our public councils for a time, we should see things drifting in another direction from what they are now. We should then have some hope of the Union : Belleville III., Dec. 8, 18G2. Dear Friend : I address you an open letter, and hope it will have sufficient merit for the press to circulate it so you may see it. I see by the papers that you were forced to abandon your home and take refuge in the interior of your State. On your travel the people called on you to address them, and when you arose in the assembly to speak, tears of sorrow for your country fell profusely from your eyes. No good man no patriot can look around at the misery and calamity the nation is at his time puttering, without his heart being moved to tears at the downfall of thin mighty mpire and the consequent misery of the peo ple. The above short notice of your address for ced vividly on my mind the youthful days we spent together in the summer of 1810, in the college of Knox county, Tennessee, where we were students together at the same institution of learning. Wherein the Rev. Isaac Ander son was the President. I have not seen you since we were together in the same college in 810; but your public life is well known to me and the nation, and it is highly appreciated by me. We were poor, obscure lads at college, and we could not dream of the singular destiny that attend us in our eventful lives. We both entered into the war of 1812 as privates, and ou were soon promoted, but I got no higher than Orderly Sergeant of the company of United States Rangers ; hence, I am called "The Old Ranger." We were both elected Gorer- nors of our respective States, and were elected o Congress for many sessions, but not at the same time. You were the hero of the independence of Texas, and the country owes you the honor and glory of becoming the father and founder of a nation. The battle of San Jacinto crown ed your efforts, and you were the first and foremost in that glorious struggle for national existence. You exerted all your intluence for annexation, and it was accomplished. We leld, I believe, the first public meeting in America for the annexation of Texas in Bell- ville, Illinois, wnd our labors were approved by the nation. When we were laboring with thousands of others for the interest and growth of the coun try, and the nation had reached the enormous amount of thirty-two millions of inhabitants, and the influence of the Union was felt in every natton on the globe, then it was that this fraternal war commenced and the country is desolated, and. I fear, ruined forever. The his tory of mankind present no such war as the present in the United States. I presume one-fourth of a million of people has already been lestroyed in this war of less than one year s duration. A religious fanatacism to emancipate the slaves in the South is the cause of the war, and the radicals in the North will never cease the war until every slave in America be eman cipated, if they have the power. The country is ruined it lour millions of slaves are emancipated in the South. A war of the two races would inevitably arise; that would, if possible, be worse than the present. The power is with the people to correct trie abuses of the present Administration and to restore peace and happiness to the country. The late elections show what the people will do when they 6peak at the next election for the Presidency. The Constitution and the Government were formed by the Democratic party, and that party alone is the only power on earth that can restore the country to its original peace and happiness. This hateful and abominable war must cease and a friendly adjustment of the difficulties must be effected by the same feelings of love and friendship that formed the Constitution in 1787. I would prefer a re-construction of the Union and become again a friendly and united peo ple, including the North and . the South ; but any amicable adjustment of the present war is better than the desolation and ruin of the country. I think the people have decided that the Avar must cease and peace be restored Your friend, John Reynolds. Gov. Sam. Houston. flSy-News is received from Fembina and Fort Gearv. Minnesota, which states positively lliat a force of seven hundred warriors of the Yanktons, and Cathead Sioux, arc congrega ting at Devil's Lake making preparations lor war against the white settlements next spring, 0U uo cjteueivc ucalc. Gen. Banks Supercedes Gen. ButlerHe Issues a Proclamation. Gen. Banks and staff arrived at New Orleans on the 14th, in the North Star. On the lGth Gen. Banks met Gen. Butler at Headquarters, and was welcomed by the latter. On the lGth, Gen. Banks issued his order, assuhiing command of the Department of the Gulf and State of Texas, and naming his staff, whose names are already known ut the North. Gzn. Butler accompanied by Col. Shaffer, Col. Turner, Maj. Strong, Maj. Bell, Capt. Davis, Capt. Kensel and other members of his staff, was to sail on the 22d inst., for New York. Capt. Clark was to remain on duty at New Orleans. PROCLAMATION. Headquarters Dept. of the Gulf) New Orleans, Dec. 1G. In obedience to orders from the President I have assumed command of the Department of the Gulf, to which is added, by his special order, the State of Texas. The duty with which I am charged, requires me to assist in the restoration of the government of the United States. It is my desire to secure to the people of every class all the privileges of possession and enjoyment which are consistent with public safety or which it is possible for a beniheent and just Government to confer. In the execution of the high trust with which lam charged. I rely upon the co-operation and counsel of all loyal and well-disposed people and upon the manifest interest of those dependent upon the pursuits of peace, as well as upon the support of naval and land forces. My instructions require me to treat as enemies those who are enemies, but I shall gladly regard as friends those who are friends. No restrictions will be placed upon the freedom of individuals, which are not imperatively deman- i ded by the considerations of public safety; but while their claims will be liberally considered, it is due also to them to state thatall the rights of the Government will be unflinching' maintained. Respectful consideration and a prompt reparation will be accorded to all persons who are wronged in body or estate by tho.-e under my command. The Government does not profit by the prolongation of the civil contest or the private or public suffering which attend it. Its fruits are not equally distributed. In the.disloyal States desolation has empire on the sea and on the land. In the North, the war is an abiding sorrow, but not yet a calamity. Its cities and towns are increasing its population, wealth and power. The refugees from the South alone, compensate in great part for the terrible decimations of battle. The people of this department who are disposed to stake their fortunes and lives upon resistance to the Government, may wisely reflect upon the immutable conditions which surround them. The valley of the Mississippi is the chosen seat of population, product and power on tli conti ent. In n few years 25,-000,000 of people, unsurpassed in material, resources and capacity for war, will swarm upon its fertile rivers. Those who assume to set conditions upon their exodus to the Gulf, count npon a po ver not given to man. The country washed by the waters of the Ohio, the Missouri and the Mississippi, can never hs permanently severed. If one generation basely barters away its rights, immortal honors will rest upon another that reclaims them. Let it never be said either that the east and west may be separated. Thirty day's assistance from the markets oi Europe may satisfy the wants of Louisiana and Arkansas, but it will not answer the demands of Illinois and Ohio. The valley of the Mississippi will have its deltas upon the Atlant'C. The physical force of the West will debouch upon its chores with a power as resistless as the torrents of its giant rivers. This country cannot be permanently divided : ceaseless wars may drain its blood and treasure: domestic tyrants or foreign foes may grasp the sceptre of its power, but itsdes-tiny will remain unchanged. It will still be united ; God has ordained it. What avails, then, the destruction of the best Government ever devised by man ; the self adjusting, self correcting Constitution of the United States. People of the Southwest! Why not accept the conditions imposed by the imperious necessities of geographical configuration and commercial supremacy, and re-establish your ancient prosperity and renown? Why not become the founders of States, which as the entrepots and depots of your own central and valleys may stand in the afflupnee of their resources without superior and in the privileges of the people without a peer among the nations of the earth ? (Signed) N. P. Banks, Maj. -Gen. Commanding. Corruption Festering at the Heart. The Washington correspondentof theSpring- field, Massachusetts Republican (Abo.) in a recent letter, makes the following statement: " I had a curious experience the other day; I called with L. upon a public ollieer high in position. We had important business, quickly dispatched, or you would not have found me there. Suddenly Mr. turned to L. and said, 'By the way' we can make you a Briga dier General. L. stared, and then answered, No, I am not fit for that; I know nothing of military matters.' 'O' no matter, you know as much as most of them, and you shall have a commission for two thousand dollars. L. looked still more astonished, and repeated the assurance that he was not fit for the place. The functionary evidently thought he hesita ted at the price. 'O,' said he, 'it is cheap, but we are under obligations to your family, which I wish to repay, and I want to do something for you, else you could not have it for double the sum ! That is told out of school, and discloses the corruption that is practiced in the Executive Department. There is now upward of twenty Major and Brigadier Generals who are without. special commands. In other words, they wear the decorations, draw the pay, but perform no service. They seem to have the idea, at Wash ington, that the country is on the high road to destruction, and they might as well make all out of it they can defore it reaches the bottom. Lnq. Murder and Robbery near Vincennes, Indiana. Vincennes, Ind., Dec 27. Last nightabout seven o'clock four men broke into the house of Isaac Puree, six miles east of Vincennes, and demanded his money. Upon his refusing they knocked him down, and taking his knife. which he was using at the time splitting kind- ling, thev ran it through his head. 1 hey then frightened the other members of the family into submission, and forced Mrs. Purcel, with a loaded pistol at her head, to give them what money there was in the house. In tins way thev got 81700 in gold and 500 in bank notes and made their escape. Mr. Purcel died from his wounds this morning. No clue him yet bceu obtained to the murderers. Our Army Correspondence. THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG. liCtter Croin William Welsli. Camp neaji Fai.m outit, Va., 1 December 17th, 18G2. j Dear Mother We recrosaed the river on last Monday night, after being under the enemy's fire for four davs. and I consider myself exceedingly lucky that I am spared to write you. I wrote a few lines to father on last Sunday, the day after the fight. Mother, you have seen pictures of great battles which have been fought during this war: I have seen some fighting myself, but last Saturday I saw many of our brave men -murdered. Our brigade opened the ball, a few minutes past 10 o'clock. A. M. We marcljed up within about 700 yards of the enemy's fortifications, when he opened on us with shell which fell at the same time on our right and left. Lieut. Col. God man fell wounded (I fear mortally) the first fire, also several oihers of the Regiment. We soon formed and marched up as skirmishers, and such cannonading I never before have heard, I was knocked senseless, and for some time I laid in the mud and water, unable to get up and move forward. The same ball knocked two of us down. I suppose it was the concussion of the air. One of the boys who saw me fall, said he saw the ball strike one of the buildings. He said it was a 32 pounder. I was soon on my feet and moved on, for I did not like the idea of the shell falling on me, for thev were falling and bursting all around me, some so close that when they exploded, mud and water would be splashed ove r me. For a few mirutes I was "sheered" pretty tolerably bad; upon a second thought, I saw it was no use, but to pitch in, and if I was to fall, I would fall doing my duty as a soldier. Mother I could plainly see the rebels as they loaded their cannon, to fire at us and at our flag. When I saw these "chappies," it netved me up, but such murdering I never want to see again. We were mowed down by their artillery; in a word, the rebels' position vas impregnable. We could not take it. Our men lay dead in piles over the field. Our loss is estimated at 15,000, killed and v.ounded. I don't think our loss is quite this heavy, though I know it is heavy enough. Worst of all we were not able to bury our dead. Mother, it made me feel awful bad to see so many of our brave men fall. I don't see how I escaped unhurt. I don't see how any of us escaped at all. There was nothing but a continual roar of cannon and musketry. The rebels were behind breastworks, arid we had nothing to protect us at 1I. They, .were on high ground; their cannon commanded the field at every point; they could throw shell and small shot with great accuracy. Thev threw slugs of Railroad iron into our ranks, au'i such an infernal noise as these slugs made was enough to frighten "Old Nick" himself. In a word, we have been compelled to fall back, and we are now in our old camp. Serg't. Geo. O. Hill (son of Hiram Hill,) w.ts.sho; in the mouth; he spit the bullet out. I saw this, I think the ball knocked two of his teeth out. Corporal John Wolverton, (son of the butcher Wolverton.) was shot in the left arm above the elbow; the bone is broken. We had no more (of Co. A,) killled, Hill and Wolverton have been sent to Washington; neither of them are dangerously wounded; this the Surgeon told me. Fredericksburg is badly used up. Our artillery did a great deal of damage to the houses, and the troops took everything they wanted, I am certain it was well sacked. Lieut Maury's house was riddled completely. I might have got main things, but I thought I was not able to carry them, and I did not think it honorable to steal anything, only something better to eat than we are accustom ed to get. You ought to have seen us going for honey, preserves and in fact everything you could think of in the eating line. The citizens have left the place, that we might not injure them in the fight. This battle has made a drawback to our arms, I fear. - Yours truly, WM. WELSH. A Blow at the Bastiles. The Grand Jury of the Court of Sessions have summoned before them a number of wit nesses, to appear on the lUth inst., against Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary ot War, for violation of the laws of New York in the arbitrary and illegal arrest and imprisonment of citizens of this State, and from all that we can learn it is highly probable indictments will be found against him. IheOrand Jury, it is un derstood, found their action upon the charge of Recorder Hoffman, who expounded the law by showing that the removal of any person from this State into any other State or Territory to answer to any charge ot having committed an offense against the laws of either tho United States or the State is in violation of the statute, and equally to violate it is an arrest with a view to secret confinement in this State; nor will it constitute any legal defense to plead upon trial that the arrest, confinement or removal, was by order of the President or any member of his Cabinet, or other officer of the Government. This is undoubtedly the law of the Stute, and is part of the Constitution of the United States, and the Secretary of War, had better look out. If an indictment should be found against him, as there is every reason to believe there will be. Governor Seymour, after the inauguration on the 1st of the ensuing month, will issue a requisition demanding the surrender of Mr, Stanton to answer the charges against him. As the President has sworn to obey the Constitution, which requires the surrender of alleged criminals, ami as Mr. Lincoln is Governor of the District of Columbia, he will of course, feel bound by his oath to deliver up Mr. Stanton to the officers of justice, to be dealt with according to law. There is a good time corning. If there Is no other way of getting rid of so incompetent a Secretary of War, this would bean excellent opportunity for the President, but we hope he will not wait so long. Neu York Herald. No Wonder. It is said that President , Lincoln's hair is rapidly turning grey. REBEL ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG. Official Report of Rebel Zoss. Special Correspondence of the Richmond Enquirer. Battle Field, Saturday, Dec. 13. This morning the sun struggled up through the obscuring mists which overhung the landscape but his rays were for an hour or two intercepted by some ashen clouds slowly drifting overhead. Everything was still as on any mild December morning. Scarcely a breath of air wafted the falling leaves, or stirred the fringes of the pine. The fog and smoke thoroughly mingled through the night and shrouded hill and plain in a grayish dim cloud. As this began to rise, about 8 o'clock, the roar of the enemy's artillery woke the stillness of the scene, and signaled the coming great battle. the battle. Now the fog has lifted, revealing the dark and heavy columns of the enemy moving down the opposite bank of the river. Far down, near the lower part of the valley, they are seen debouching. Whole fields are gleaming with bayonets. They continue to pour out on the plain in n stream which seems to come from an inexhaustible fountain. The meadows are black with them, tens of thousands in solid column. We can only vaguely conjecture at this distance the number. Old sold ers think there are 00,000. Where are our men ? A solitary battery of four guns, commanded by Capt. Carter Braxton, is to be seen on the plain. The fire from the enemy's battery of twenty-two guns opens upon it, but it makes no reply. Other batteries direct their shots toward it, but it has evidently made up its mind not to be hurried. The enemy, now formed in three heavy columns, advances to attack our right. On they go at double-quick toward the woods, making the earth shake under their tread, with colors riving and arms glistening in the sunlight. Wliere are our men ? A long sheet of flame from the skirt of woods at the foot of the hills i cloud of smoke, a roar and rattle of musketry, tell their whereabouts. The advanced column halts, and delivers a hasty fire. A continuous stream of fugitives' from the front scour across the fields rearward; some are halted and formed in squads, but never can be forced again to go the front except at the point of the bayonet. The smoke now mostly shuts the combatants from the view of the distant spectator. There is breaking of ranks among the enemy, rallying and re-rallying, but to no avail. They cannot stand the murderous fire. They giveit upasabadjob. Meanwhile, the battery in the field (Braxton's) has opened after long endurances, and at the right moment makes its mark. The coolness and precision with which it is handled wins the admiration of all observers. The manner of its action will be noticed hereafter in complimentary terms in official reports. Other batteries did their work nobly, but they, with other particulars of the engagement on the right, must be noticed where each can have justice done in an extended account. the storming of the hill. The Yankees commenced the storming of the hill at 11 A. M. with six brigades, and were repulsed four times with immense slaughter. They were mowed down by hundreds. Two hundred and fifty bodies were counted on a space occupied by only one regiment. The firing was kept up incessantly until i o'clock. Col. Walton's battery held the heights, pouring a murderous fire into the advancing columns. The batteries on the various hijliH nobly assisted the battery on the heights, keeping up a continual steam of fire, each volley thinning the ranks of the enemy in a terrible manner. The battery of Capt. Miles C. Macon of Richmond covered itself with glory. The fire was opened on the storming regiments by this battery. The railroad gap, at one time, was filled with Yankees, when a well-directed shot from the battery exploded in their midst, killing about fifty of the hirelings. Capt. M.'s. battery was hotly engaged on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. and won the admiration of all the commanding officers by the coolness and precision exhibited by the men in handling their guns. Astonishing to say, not a man of this company was killed or wounded. One rifle piece of Capt. Ewbank's battery, near the centre, has been engaged. On Saturday afternoon it played upon the Yankee brigade driven by Hill's men in front of Barnard's. This portion of the battery had been under a heavy fire for three days past, but has fortunately suffered no loss. The remainder of Captain Ewbank's guns are so disposed that they will perform efficient service when called upon, in which event we expect to chronicle a brilliant achievement on the part of this gallant command. Late in the afternoon comes the magnificent charge of a regiment of Hood's division, across the plain, routing of a brigade from the line of the railroad, and while under the concentrated fire of a battallion of artillery, driving the eneniv from the skirt of the woods before mentioned capturing 41 prisoners, representing six regiments, and, on the whole, covering themselves with ineffaceable glory. REBEL KILLED AND WOUNDED. I have been at some pains to ascertain our loBfl, and. as the result of my effort, have obtained from Dr. J. C. Herndon, the polite sur geon on Geu. Lee's staff, the following state- f ment, which may ie reiiea upon a3 correct : m'laws' division. Barksdale and Cobb's brigade Ill Semines' brigade 1 Iv e r s h a w ' s b r i d a ge 259 Straggling cases 0 Anderson's division. Wilcox's brigade 9 Mahono's brigade. 5 ranson's division, Cook's brigade. '205 A. P. Hill's division, about ...600 Earlv's and Taliaferro's commands, about.300 D. H. Hill, about 10 Washington artillery, about 23 Total......... 1,649 Picket's division 40 Hood's division 100 Total 1,759 The Great Baitle of Fredericksburg:. From the Richmond Dispatch, Dec, 10. The battle of Saturday taking into consideration the number of men engaged, the quantity of artillery and other pngines of war employed, tho valor of tho combatants and the skiil of the Generals, was probably the greatest battle ever fought on this continent. It was fought bv nearly two hundred thousand men and several hundred pieces of artillery. It was contested for ten hours. It resulted in a complete victory to the Confederate forces. Wc say complete, becauee, although the enc- my's fprce was not annihilated killed, cap ' turedor dispersed the failure was entirely owing to the near neighborhood of their strongholds, to which they fled when thev tound tnemseives unaoie to face our forces any I longer in the field. Had the battle been fought'twenty miles this side of the Itappa- hannock river there woulrt have been suvh a . rout as the world did not witness in the forty- , . , , - . , r ' ' ; six years that elapsed .vetween the b ittje of Waterloo and the firm batt of Ma.-ae s. As it was, it has proved to the Yankees that no superiority of number or of preparation can : avail them in a pitched battle with the forces ! of the Contederacy r-a truth so patent ami so 1 . . - . ... . often exenu: fled that we i.elieve thev are.iow,u 1-"'" " r"1-' uauu.uein -4 the only people on earth who venture to deny -r - . it. Our loss has been heavy, but bears no comparison whatever to that of t)e enemy. '-We have to regret about twenty-foe hundred killed.-wounded and missing, while according to the report of those best skilled in making estimates of this description, their loss does not certainly fall short of ten thousand, 8nd in all probability, greatly. exceeds it. This will not be regarded as at all improbable when we take into consideration the relative position of the opposing armies. The Confederates were on the heights, which rendered them accessible to cannon. The Yankees were in low grounds, subjected to a murderous fire of artillery and musketry as they advanced. Every shot told and those who witnessed it say that thesiaugh ter was awful beyond anything yet witnessed in the war. General Longstreet succeeded in getting possession of a long stone wll on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, and in placing a whole division behind it. The Yankees, with more bohlnesss than they usually exhibit on such occasians, attempted to ge, possession of it. They were repulsed with unparalleled slaughter in every attempt, and at. last broke and fled in confusion. It seems to be doubted whether General Lee permitted the enemy to come over, or whether he could have prevented it had he tried. It seems to us that he had every reason to wish them to coma over. lie had selected his field of battle, and had thoroughly studied it, as Napoleon had done the field of Austerlitz. when he fell back thirty miles to draw his en emv to it. and as Wellington is said to have done at Waterloo. He had an army full of confidence in themselves and in him. The disparity of force was not so g't as to render victory at all improbable when the composition of the two armies and the animating spir it of each are taken into consideration. If thev were determined to pass, he could have hardlv prevented them, since they had posses sion of the heights on the Stafford side, and crowned them with inumerable batteries. What may have been his motive it is impossible for us, of course, to say: but we understand one of his officers, very high in rank, expressed himself, in strong terms, anxious above all things for them to come over, and try their fortunes on the very ground which was the theatre of the battle several weeks ago. This is the tenth pitched battle in which Ger.tral Lee has commanded within less than six months, and in all of them he has been vic torious. No other campaign except tltat of Italy in 1796, and that of France in 1814, pres ents such a result. Our people are cheered by the reflection that their armies are commanded by two generals who have no rival in the art of war Lee on the Rappahannock, and Johnston in the Southwest. They are as superior to the Yankee generals in every qualify that constitutes the military chiefs as the soldiers they lead are to the thieves and cutthroats that Lincoln has sent to subjugate thpni. Burnside and the Administration. In an article on "The Political Situation," the New York World has the following just remarks : It may be true that the same A Jministrtion which removed MeCltdian because he did not obey a peremptory oruer to advance against Lee and attack him, gave Burnside full discretion to attack when, where, and how he pleased; but what then is the country to think of its consistency or its judgment? Why practice this unrelenting urgency on McClel-lan, if there were no military reasons which would make the same stringent authority necessary over his successor '! Why do so self-siultifvinfr a thing as to remove one comman der under the pretext that he did not obey orders, to replace him by another with no orders to obey ? If the more skillful, more experienced, more accomplished General could not be allowed to exercise his own judgment, whv allow this privilege to his confessedly, less competent successor? The attempt of the Administration to shield itself from blame by inn-king a scape goat ol Burn-ude is a trick that s innot succeed. There is no pretense in any quarter that Burnside acted against orders ; if he acted without orders, and perpetrated a great military blunder, that fact is the strongest of all possible reasons for arraigning the Ad r.in-istratmn for its substitution for an incompetent General for a good one. The administration appointed Pope, and he gave us Bull Hun number two ; it appointed Burnside, and he gave us Ball's Bluff multiplied by ten. To offer the incompetency of these generals in exculpation of itself from the blame of their failures, is the most damaging admission the Administration can make. If incompetent they should not have been appointed ; or, it appointed in default of better material, they should not have had such mischievous latitude of discretion. Soldiers' Politics. There is nothing so mortifying and so full of bitterness to a Uepublican.'who looks forward to office and they are all casting sheep's eyes in that direction as to hear the letters of a soldier upon political affairs. We read, the other night, to a bevy of the Blacks, a few paragraphs which filled them with the utmost despondency, nd they could not open their mouths in extenuation or reply. The writer was a violent Abolitionist before going into the war, and, as will be seen by his letter his views on the nigger have undergone an dntire change. He says: "It suits me the way the elections went North. I will never vote another Abolition ticket in my life. Nineteen twentieths of the boys are down on the nigger. We had one hundred ofthem in our Iiegiment, and now we have not a dozen. They are mule teamsters, and the white men would cut the harness when they wci't to hitch up: and owing to the difficulties tney had to bejturned off. They are lazy and saucy. Sometimes they will lay in the sun all day. I have helped to bury a half dozen at a time in the sand. All the boys are opposed to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and they are all tired of the war. It is a d d nigger war, and I wish it was oyer. I have fought for the nigger just about as Jong as Lwant to." We see letters every day from Republican soldiers containing exactly thesame sentiments as the above. They were made to believe that the Republican party was not an Abolition party, and that the war was not an Abolition war, but now that they have their eyes opened, they are sick of their bargain and want to get out of it, 0Af r-Hoit Fnm the Washing u ( hxa .-.u-r. SUICIDE OF CAPT. J0HS ELWC0D ! Another Victim of Govcrsicic&st Tyr aziaiy Dispatches from Washington City of the Cd instant announce that the night before, Cup- , , , tm... t?i,i .. j - i . i ism JQhn El wood committed suicide in i.mo r . . , . , , , ,, , Old Capitol prison, where he had been rom.aed, by order of the Goye-nment, for a month or more. It is stated in the game dispatches that Captain El wood had been arrested for aiding , . , , , . through against the Government ;" ar-d th tt lie had confessed his guilt, since his confine ment ;" and one paper states that his confess sion fiad been written out and given to Secrs-i tary Stanton; that Elwood wanted to retract it, but the Secretary would not return it, and the dispair thus caused had lei him to Cvin mit suicide, by cutting his throat, -This-is the material portion, of all that lias been made known to the pubiio of this-one of the very saddest occurrences of these sad times. Captain John Elwood was brrn in Ohio ; but has resided in East Bethlehem township in this county, for some years pre vious to his untimely death. In 1857 he was appointed by President Buchanan, a lieuteu ant in the regular army ; and he was not appointed from Kentucky, as some accounts state. Subsequently he was promoted to a captaincy, lje married a Miss Benjl, iiaugh ter of Beall. of Beallsville in this con ty, and lias o ie child ; who wife and child remain at his late residence. They were not in Washington City at the time of the melancholy occurrence, as the fal.e lisptches concerning it state. At the time of his arrest Capt. Elwool was engaged in his ofi'.;.-ial duties in New York City a a paymaster or disbursing agent of the Government, He was taken and put into the OI j Capitol pris n,anl there kept in cloe confinement, wjiliOi't any formal charge ever being made against him, and deprived totally of a trial or investigation of his pretended offense until the morning of Decembei 3, when he is found in his lonely cell a cold, mangled corpse. It is said in the dispatches coming to us by telegraph (Score tary Stanton, supreme censor, is to be held responsible for what it says) that lie died by his own hands, peih-tps so. It may be hot so! Who can tell whether his murderer was himself or another, when the deed must have been unwitnessed ? Those who knew Elwood his high honor, lofty courage his independence and integrity of spirit - will render his memory the charitable homage of n doubt, at least, that lie was his own distroyer. But whether he laid fatal hands upon hip own life or not. his blood is not all upon his own skirts. The authors anil ritHiutaincr of tike infamous system of oppression, thatt-eenii' to have been brought to something like a devilish perfection under the administration of Mr, Lincoln they are guilty of Ei wood's blood. They are just as much guilty as ihey are of the sacrifice of that poor m.-in that died iu the St. Louis prison, only an hour or two bt Toie h?s cirtificate of discharge certifying that there were no grounds for the charges aairjsfc him was carried into his cell. The charge now laid against h'ni, is fraud or embezzlement. That is a legal, not a po litical or military, odense. Why then was hp not treated as other offenders against law ? The courts are trying such offenses every day. He was imprisoned at the nod of a Cabinet Secretary and held in a. Government bastile. That (onvinces i s that fraud had really noth ing to do with his punishment. Hip independent advocacy of Democracy had made hi:n odious to an intolercnt administration; and we know that that crime has sent more than one guiltless person to a dungeon. There is a dark, damning mystery about this tragic cftfo, It ought to be scrutinized and the truth umdo known. There is a fearful guilt somewiicrr, About the time of his arrest, there drove up iu a carriage one day to the house ot Cap tain Xl wood, in this county, two men and a woman emmissaiiea sent out from Washing ton City. They entered the house tenanted at the time by no ones but Mrs. Elwood, her child, and a niece of hers and, turning the-key in the lot k as they entered, they proceed ed to search the house. From garret toce'lar everything was rummaged over. Mrs. E!i wood and her neice were conducted into q, room by the woman fttd stripped of every ar tide of clothing not accepting their stocking' in a pretended search after evidence of Capt, Elwoodi's treason ! Everything in the shape ol paper about the house was taken and carried away b these same faithful deputies of the Government. TJie deed of Captain TU woods farm articles of agreement for the building of a barn due biilsand notes of hand all of his private pajers were taken! AH th's was in the search after proof i I Captain Eiwood's treason, or, as it is sometime more mildly termed, sympathy with Hm'siou ! It is needles to say that they found none ; for a truer man to his government nver breathed than Caprain Elwood. All this goes to prove, though, the real cause of his imprisonment; and serves to reveal more clearly the guilty nature ot the. oppression that in the end ro ceived his life in satisfaction of its utmost dvj- mands. From the llartfurd Times. Shameful Facts. A private letter from a soldier in Burnside's army, to his mother in thi city, written from Falmouth a day or two previous! to the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg, states that on the day when the letter was written, there were brought into the dead-house twelve dead bodies of our soldiers who had been frozen to death while on guard duty ! He says several of the men were on guard duty without pantaloons! having had for two or three weeks only over-, coats and drawers ! The mercury on two nights sunk to 13 and 14, and ice six inches thick floated in the river. Their shoes were in many instances almost worthless, being Massachusetts contract shoes with soles glued on; and the men were, moreover, half starved. The writer had just received some money from home, and he says he devoted 25c. of it to' tho purchase of a quart of meal, which he stirred up with water and boiled; and he adds that it was the bst dinner he had had for two or three months. There ia a terrible responsibility resting on the heads of guilty contractors, 'quartermasters, and shoddy patriots generally, who hai? directly done so much to cause these evil. - While white soldiers are absolutely freezing to death in Virginia, our Government is having 50,000 suits of clothes made in New Yorl; for negroes! And many thousands of dollars, worth of lifcnecessariea arc pert abroad to help the suffering poor of Great Britain, while on? own poor soldiers die of nakedness and starva tion at booet V t". J

( f VOLUME XXVI. MOUNT VERNON, OHIO: SATURDAY, JANUARY 5, 1863. NUMBER 88 lit S I f if I yr-LSS M I ; I W H I til 1111 It S)c gemocralic fanner is rrsusnED evkht satithday morxing bt L. HARPER. dfllec in Woodward lllock, 3d Story. TERMS. Two Dollars per annum, payable in ad-Yunee; $2.50 within six months; $3.00 after the expiration of the year. lie Ucttiflwatif EDITED BY L. HARPER. A Grand Truth. The Chicago Tones utters a grand truth in the following qu. tation a truth as patent to all unprejudiced minds as the light of the sun At noonday: Abolition is the primary cause of our difficulties not slavery. Slavery was entitled to be let alone within its proper sphere, abolitionism arose and undertook to teach the people that the Union could not survive half slave and half free. Then appeared secession and between the two abominations the Union is in deadly peril. It is the mission of the Democracy joined by other conservative people, to bring it out of this terrible chaos. We pray Democrats never for a single moment to loose eight of this grand truth. A Word for Peace. j The Hon. W. B. Reed, of Philadelphia, recently wrote a letter to a festival in Berks Co., IiM in celebration of the recent Democratic victories, in which he speaks out boldly and plainly as follows : " It is my firm belief that the paramount wish of the North is for peace though timidity, or considerations mistaken in my opinion of expediency, prevent them from saying so. It has been part of the polidy of the Administration to crush out this craving of a common humanity and to denounce as traitors those who think as I do, that blood tnough has been shed already. This has been acquiesced in too long. There are thousands who think with me whose property is endangered whose industry is paralizcd fathers and mothers who are anxious for the return of their children from the battle-field, or waiting for the stern doom that takes from them those who are left at home. Their prayer will soon nd utterance ind the community, weary of war and blood shed weary of debt and taxa-atiou, of the tax-collector and the recruiting tergeant weary of the ambulance of the wounded and the hearse of the dead will hail with testacy beyond control the hour when flags of permanent truce shall be displayed at Washington and "Richmond. I am old enough to remember the peace of 181G, and the joy it excited; but it was as nothing in comparison with what ours will be when this brothers' war is orer. Jeff. Davis' Proclamation. Jeff. Davis has issued a retaliatory Trocl; mation, dated Richmond, Dec. 23d, which ie Qver a column long. He declares that Gen. Butler and all his officers are to be hung if taken, all soldiers taken to be paroled ; negroes found with arms to be immediately hung; federal officers found with slaves also to be hung. Daves declares Butler a felon, deserving cap ital punishment, and orders that he be no longer considered or treated as a public enemy, but an outlaw and common enemy to mankind, and when captured the officer capturing him will instantly hang him ; also no commis-lioned United States officers taken, to be released on parole before exchange, until Butler ahall have met punishment for his crimes, and that all commissioned officers in the command of Butler shall be declared not entitled to be considered as soldiers engaged in honorable warfare, but robbers and criminals deserving death, and that each of them whenever captured, be reserved for execution. Only two Parties. There are only two parties in this country the Union and disunion party. To the Union party belongs the Democracy, the old line Whigs, and a meagre sprinkling of those who have heretofore been acting with the Republican party. On the side of disunion, are ran-gedthe Republican or Abolition party, and the secessionists. If there are traitors in the land, they arejfound in the disunion party. A disunionist can not be a patriot. What a Figure must our Administration Cut before the World! Mr. Seward, writing to Mr. Dayto.v, our Minister at Paris, April 22d, 18G1 says: " TJie condition of Slavery in the several States will remain just the same, whether it (the revolution) succeed or fail. There is not even a p-etext for the complaint that the disaffected States are to be conquered bv the United States, and the condition of every hu man being m them, will remain subject to exactly the same lairs and forms of administration, whether the revolution shall succeed or whether it shall fail. In one case, the States would be federally connected with the new Confederacy ; in the other, thev would, as now be members of the United States ; but their constitutions and laws, customs, habits, and institutions, in cither case, will remain the same. It is hardly necessary to add to this in contestible statement the further fact that the new President, as well as the citizens, through whose suffrages he has come into the Admin istration, have always repudiated all designs whatever, and wherever imputed to him and them, of distributing the system of slavery as it is existing under the Constitution and laws. The case, however, would not be fully presented if J. were to omit to say that any such effort on his part would be unconstitutional, and all his actions in that direction would be prevented by the judicial authority, even though they were' assented to by congress ana the people." We published this letter at the time, and eaid we should hold the Administration to thw avowal. Mr. Seward wrote this under the sanction of the President and in his name What now arc these men doing? Violating their pledges to the world and the American people I Is it any wonder that foreign nations treat this Administration with contempt. Crisii. Bold Talk. From the New Tork ExpresB, 23d inst. THE VIEWS OF GOVERNOR SEYMOUR. The Philadelphia Press is pleased to impute some reported views of Governor Seymour to be put forth in his message, to the New York Express when we know nothing of what the Governor is going to say, beyond what we clearly infer from the principles which elect him, one of which certainly is, "JVo more Arbitrary Arrests in Xew York.' What course the Governor will take upon the draft, if any, we do not know, and have never hcaid. But, cays the Press, insolently, considering the position of its editor, as an officer of the United States Senate: "If the President deems it proper to order a dratt, the draft will be made; and if Governor Seymour dares to oppose it on any pretext he will be held to a strict and unrelentingaccoun-tability. The time has passed when any State, or the authorities of any State, can threaten the General Government; and the time will never come when an ambitious and unfrienly Governor will be allowed to assail the Supreme Executive with impunity. This may as well be understood." But, why has not this language been held to Governor Morgan, who has paid but 6light attention to the order for the draft? The Abolitionsts of the Uhited States Sen-ate, in whose behalf, perhaps, Mr. Forney thus speaks of States, and States authorities, have now States enough on hand in rebellion; and they are doing all they can to add on Kentucky, Missouri, Maryland and Delaware. Do they desire to increase the number by New York and New Jersey, eastward, and Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, westward? We shall see how Forney will digest that ! We hope he understands it. Letter from Ex-Governor Reynolds, of Illinois, to General Sam. Houston. We publish below an interesting letter from Ex-Governor Reynolds, of Belleville, Illinoii, to General Sam Houston, of Texas, under date of December 8th, 18G2. The letter is well worth the perusal of our readers. If we had the old men of the former generation in our public councils for a time, we should see things drifting in another direction from what they are now. We should then have some hope of the Union : Belleville III., Dec. 8, 18G2. Dear Friend : I address you an open letter, and hope it will have sufficient merit for the press to circulate it so you may see it. I see by the papers that you were forced to abandon your home and take refuge in the interior of your State. On your travel the people called on you to address them, and when you arose in the assembly to speak, tears of sorrow for your country fell profusely from your eyes. No good man no patriot can look around at the misery and calamity the nation is at his time puttering, without his heart being moved to tears at the downfall of thin mighty mpire and the consequent misery of the peo ple. The above short notice of your address for ced vividly on my mind the youthful days we spent together in the summer of 1810, in the college of Knox county, Tennessee, where we were students together at the same institution of learning. Wherein the Rev. Isaac Ander son was the President. I have not seen you since we were together in the same college in 810; but your public life is well known to me and the nation, and it is highly appreciated by me. We were poor, obscure lads at college, and we could not dream of the singular destiny that attend us in our eventful lives. We both entered into the war of 1812 as privates, and ou were soon promoted, but I got no higher than Orderly Sergeant of the company of United States Rangers ; hence, I am called "The Old Ranger." We were both elected Gorer- nors of our respective States, and were elected o Congress for many sessions, but not at the same time. You were the hero of the independence of Texas, and the country owes you the honor and glory of becoming the father and founder of a nation. The battle of San Jacinto crown ed your efforts, and you were the first and foremost in that glorious struggle for national existence. You exerted all your intluence for annexation, and it was accomplished. We leld, I believe, the first public meeting in America for the annexation of Texas in Bell- ville, Illinois, wnd our labors were approved by the nation. When we were laboring with thousands of others for the interest and growth of the coun try, and the nation had reached the enormous amount of thirty-two millions of inhabitants, and the influence of the Union was felt in every natton on the globe, then it was that this fraternal war commenced and the country is desolated, and. I fear, ruined forever. The his tory of mankind present no such war as the present in the United States. I presume one-fourth of a million of people has already been lestroyed in this war of less than one year s duration. A religious fanatacism to emancipate the slaves in the South is the cause of the war, and the radicals in the North will never cease the war until every slave in America be eman cipated, if they have the power. The country is ruined it lour millions of slaves are emancipated in the South. A war of the two races would inevitably arise; that would, if possible, be worse than the present. The power is with the people to correct trie abuses of the present Administration and to restore peace and happiness to the country. The late elections show what the people will do when they 6peak at the next election for the Presidency. The Constitution and the Government were formed by the Democratic party, and that party alone is the only power on earth that can restore the country to its original peace and happiness. This hateful and abominable war must cease and a friendly adjustment of the difficulties must be effected by the same feelings of love and friendship that formed the Constitution in 1787. I would prefer a re-construction of the Union and become again a friendly and united peo ple, including the North and . the South ; but any amicable adjustment of the present war is better than the desolation and ruin of the country. I think the people have decided that the Avar must cease and peace be restored Your friend, John Reynolds. Gov. Sam. Houston. flSy-News is received from Fembina and Fort Gearv. Minnesota, which states positively lliat a force of seven hundred warriors of the Yanktons, and Cathead Sioux, arc congrega ting at Devil's Lake making preparations lor war against the white settlements next spring, 0U uo cjteueivc ucalc. Gen. Banks Supercedes Gen. ButlerHe Issues a Proclamation. Gen. Banks and staff arrived at New Orleans on the 14th, in the North Star. On the lGth Gen. Banks met Gen. Butler at Headquarters, and was welcomed by the latter. On the lGth, Gen. Banks issued his order, assuhiing command of the Department of the Gulf and State of Texas, and naming his staff, whose names are already known ut the North. Gzn. Butler accompanied by Col. Shaffer, Col. Turner, Maj. Strong, Maj. Bell, Capt. Davis, Capt. Kensel and other members of his staff, was to sail on the 22d inst., for New York. Capt. Clark was to remain on duty at New Orleans. PROCLAMATION. Headquarters Dept. of the Gulf) New Orleans, Dec. 1G. In obedience to orders from the President I have assumed command of the Department of the Gulf, to which is added, by his special order, the State of Texas. The duty with which I am charged, requires me to assist in the restoration of the government of the United States. It is my desire to secure to the people of every class all the privileges of possession and enjoyment which are consistent with public safety or which it is possible for a beniheent and just Government to confer. In the execution of the high trust with which lam charged. I rely upon the co-operation and counsel of all loyal and well-disposed people and upon the manifest interest of those dependent upon the pursuits of peace, as well as upon the support of naval and land forces. My instructions require me to treat as enemies those who are enemies, but I shall gladly regard as friends those who are friends. No restrictions will be placed upon the freedom of individuals, which are not imperatively deman- i ded by the considerations of public safety; but while their claims will be liberally considered, it is due also to them to state thatall the rights of the Government will be unflinching' maintained. Respectful consideration and a prompt reparation will be accorded to all persons who are wronged in body or estate by tho.-e under my command. The Government does not profit by the prolongation of the civil contest or the private or public suffering which attend it. Its fruits are not equally distributed. In the.disloyal States desolation has empire on the sea and on the land. In the North, the war is an abiding sorrow, but not yet a calamity. Its cities and towns are increasing its population, wealth and power. The refugees from the South alone, compensate in great part for the terrible decimations of battle. The people of this department who are disposed to stake their fortunes and lives upon resistance to the Government, may wisely reflect upon the immutable conditions which surround them. The valley of the Mississippi is the chosen seat of population, product and power on tli conti ent. In n few years 25,-000,000 of people, unsurpassed in material, resources and capacity for war, will swarm upon its fertile rivers. Those who assume to set conditions upon their exodus to the Gulf, count npon a po ver not given to man. The country washed by the waters of the Ohio, the Missouri and the Mississippi, can never hs permanently severed. If one generation basely barters away its rights, immortal honors will rest upon another that reclaims them. Let it never be said either that the east and west may be separated. Thirty day's assistance from the markets oi Europe may satisfy the wants of Louisiana and Arkansas, but it will not answer the demands of Illinois and Ohio. The valley of the Mississippi will have its deltas upon the Atlant'C. The physical force of the West will debouch upon its chores with a power as resistless as the torrents of its giant rivers. This country cannot be permanently divided : ceaseless wars may drain its blood and treasure: domestic tyrants or foreign foes may grasp the sceptre of its power, but itsdes-tiny will remain unchanged. It will still be united ; God has ordained it. What avails, then, the destruction of the best Government ever devised by man ; the self adjusting, self correcting Constitution of the United States. People of the Southwest! Why not accept the conditions imposed by the imperious necessities of geographical configuration and commercial supremacy, and re-establish your ancient prosperity and renown? Why not become the founders of States, which as the entrepots and depots of your own central and valleys may stand in the afflupnee of their resources without superior and in the privileges of the people without a peer among the nations of the earth ? (Signed) N. P. Banks, Maj. -Gen. Commanding. Corruption Festering at the Heart. The Washington correspondentof theSpring- field, Massachusetts Republican (Abo.) in a recent letter, makes the following statement: " I had a curious experience the other day; I called with L. upon a public ollieer high in position. We had important business, quickly dispatched, or you would not have found me there. Suddenly Mr. turned to L. and said, 'By the way' we can make you a Briga dier General. L. stared, and then answered, No, I am not fit for that; I know nothing of military matters.' 'O' no matter, you know as much as most of them, and you shall have a commission for two thousand dollars. L. looked still more astonished, and repeated the assurance that he was not fit for the place. The functionary evidently thought he hesita ted at the price. 'O,' said he, 'it is cheap, but we are under obligations to your family, which I wish to repay, and I want to do something for you, else you could not have it for double the sum ! That is told out of school, and discloses the corruption that is practiced in the Executive Department. There is now upward of twenty Major and Brigadier Generals who are without. special commands. In other words, they wear the decorations, draw the pay, but perform no service. They seem to have the idea, at Wash ington, that the country is on the high road to destruction, and they might as well make all out of it they can defore it reaches the bottom. Lnq. Murder and Robbery near Vincennes, Indiana. Vincennes, Ind., Dec 27. Last nightabout seven o'clock four men broke into the house of Isaac Puree, six miles east of Vincennes, and demanded his money. Upon his refusing they knocked him down, and taking his knife. which he was using at the time splitting kind- ling, thev ran it through his head. 1 hey then frightened the other members of the family into submission, and forced Mrs. Purcel, with a loaded pistol at her head, to give them what money there was in the house. In tins way thev got 81700 in gold and 500 in bank notes and made their escape. Mr. Purcel died from his wounds this morning. No clue him yet bceu obtained to the murderers. Our Army Correspondence. THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG. liCtter Croin William Welsli. Camp neaji Fai.m outit, Va., 1 December 17th, 18G2. j Dear Mother We recrosaed the river on last Monday night, after being under the enemy's fire for four davs. and I consider myself exceedingly lucky that I am spared to write you. I wrote a few lines to father on last Sunday, the day after the fight. Mother, you have seen pictures of great battles which have been fought during this war: I have seen some fighting myself, but last Saturday I saw many of our brave men -murdered. Our brigade opened the ball, a few minutes past 10 o'clock. A. M. We marcljed up within about 700 yards of the enemy's fortifications, when he opened on us with shell which fell at the same time on our right and left. Lieut. Col. God man fell wounded (I fear mortally) the first fire, also several oihers of the Regiment. We soon formed and marched up as skirmishers, and such cannonading I never before have heard, I was knocked senseless, and for some time I laid in the mud and water, unable to get up and move forward. The same ball knocked two of us down. I suppose it was the concussion of the air. One of the boys who saw me fall, said he saw the ball strike one of the buildings. He said it was a 32 pounder. I was soon on my feet and moved on, for I did not like the idea of the shell falling on me, for thev were falling and bursting all around me, some so close that when they exploded, mud and water would be splashed ove r me. For a few mirutes I was "sheered" pretty tolerably bad; upon a second thought, I saw it was no use, but to pitch in, and if I was to fall, I would fall doing my duty as a soldier. Mother I could plainly see the rebels as they loaded their cannon, to fire at us and at our flag. When I saw these "chappies," it netved me up, but such murdering I never want to see again. We were mowed down by their artillery; in a word, the rebels' position vas impregnable. We could not take it. Our men lay dead in piles over the field. Our loss is estimated at 15,000, killed and v.ounded. I don't think our loss is quite this heavy, though I know it is heavy enough. Worst of all we were not able to bury our dead. Mother, it made me feel awful bad to see so many of our brave men fall. I don't see how I escaped unhurt. I don't see how any of us escaped at all. There was nothing but a continual roar of cannon and musketry. The rebels were behind breastworks, arid we had nothing to protect us at 1I. They, .were on high ground; their cannon commanded the field at every point; they could throw shell and small shot with great accuracy. Thev threw slugs of Railroad iron into our ranks, au'i such an infernal noise as these slugs made was enough to frighten "Old Nick" himself. In a word, we have been compelled to fall back, and we are now in our old camp. Serg't. Geo. O. Hill (son of Hiram Hill,) w.ts.sho; in the mouth; he spit the bullet out. I saw this, I think the ball knocked two of his teeth out. Corporal John Wolverton, (son of the butcher Wolverton.) was shot in the left arm above the elbow; the bone is broken. We had no more (of Co. A,) killled, Hill and Wolverton have been sent to Washington; neither of them are dangerously wounded; this the Surgeon told me. Fredericksburg is badly used up. Our artillery did a great deal of damage to the houses, and the troops took everything they wanted, I am certain it was well sacked. Lieut Maury's house was riddled completely. I might have got main things, but I thought I was not able to carry them, and I did not think it honorable to steal anything, only something better to eat than we are accustom ed to get. You ought to have seen us going for honey, preserves and in fact everything you could think of in the eating line. The citizens have left the place, that we might not injure them in the fight. This battle has made a drawback to our arms, I fear. - Yours truly, WM. WELSH. A Blow at the Bastiles. The Grand Jury of the Court of Sessions have summoned before them a number of wit nesses, to appear on the lUth inst., against Edwin M. Stanton, Secretary ot War, for violation of the laws of New York in the arbitrary and illegal arrest and imprisonment of citizens of this State, and from all that we can learn it is highly probable indictments will be found against him. IheOrand Jury, it is un derstood, found their action upon the charge of Recorder Hoffman, who expounded the law by showing that the removal of any person from this State into any other State or Territory to answer to any charge ot having committed an offense against the laws of either tho United States or the State is in violation of the statute, and equally to violate it is an arrest with a view to secret confinement in this State; nor will it constitute any legal defense to plead upon trial that the arrest, confinement or removal, was by order of the President or any member of his Cabinet, or other officer of the Government. This is undoubtedly the law of the Stute, and is part of the Constitution of the United States, and the Secretary of War, had better look out. If an indictment should be found against him, as there is every reason to believe there will be. Governor Seymour, after the inauguration on the 1st of the ensuing month, will issue a requisition demanding the surrender of Mr, Stanton to answer the charges against him. As the President has sworn to obey the Constitution, which requires the surrender of alleged criminals, ami as Mr. Lincoln is Governor of the District of Columbia, he will of course, feel bound by his oath to deliver up Mr. Stanton to the officers of justice, to be dealt with according to law. There is a good time corning. If there Is no other way of getting rid of so incompetent a Secretary of War, this would bean excellent opportunity for the President, but we hope he will not wait so long. Neu York Herald. No Wonder. It is said that President , Lincoln's hair is rapidly turning grey. REBEL ACCOUNTS OF THE BATTLE OF FREDERICKSBURG. Official Report of Rebel Zoss. Special Correspondence of the Richmond Enquirer. Battle Field, Saturday, Dec. 13. This morning the sun struggled up through the obscuring mists which overhung the landscape but his rays were for an hour or two intercepted by some ashen clouds slowly drifting overhead. Everything was still as on any mild December morning. Scarcely a breath of air wafted the falling leaves, or stirred the fringes of the pine. The fog and smoke thoroughly mingled through the night and shrouded hill and plain in a grayish dim cloud. As this began to rise, about 8 o'clock, the roar of the enemy's artillery woke the stillness of the scene, and signaled the coming great battle. the battle. Now the fog has lifted, revealing the dark and heavy columns of the enemy moving down the opposite bank of the river. Far down, near the lower part of the valley, they are seen debouching. Whole fields are gleaming with bayonets. They continue to pour out on the plain in n stream which seems to come from an inexhaustible fountain. The meadows are black with them, tens of thousands in solid column. We can only vaguely conjecture at this distance the number. Old sold ers think there are 00,000. Where are our men ? A solitary battery of four guns, commanded by Capt. Carter Braxton, is to be seen on the plain. The fire from the enemy's battery of twenty-two guns opens upon it, but it makes no reply. Other batteries direct their shots toward it, but it has evidently made up its mind not to be hurried. The enemy, now formed in three heavy columns, advances to attack our right. On they go at double-quick toward the woods, making the earth shake under their tread, with colors riving and arms glistening in the sunlight. Wliere are our men ? A long sheet of flame from the skirt of woods at the foot of the hills i cloud of smoke, a roar and rattle of musketry, tell their whereabouts. The advanced column halts, and delivers a hasty fire. A continuous stream of fugitives' from the front scour across the fields rearward; some are halted and formed in squads, but never can be forced again to go the front except at the point of the bayonet. The smoke now mostly shuts the combatants from the view of the distant spectator. There is breaking of ranks among the enemy, rallying and re-rallying, but to no avail. They cannot stand the murderous fire. They giveit upasabadjob. Meanwhile, the battery in the field (Braxton's) has opened after long endurances, and at the right moment makes its mark. The coolness and precision with which it is handled wins the admiration of all observers. The manner of its action will be noticed hereafter in complimentary terms in official reports. Other batteries did their work nobly, but they, with other particulars of the engagement on the right, must be noticed where each can have justice done in an extended account. the storming of the hill. The Yankees commenced the storming of the hill at 11 A. M. with six brigades, and were repulsed four times with immense slaughter. They were mowed down by hundreds. Two hundred and fifty bodies were counted on a space occupied by only one regiment. The firing was kept up incessantly until i o'clock. Col. Walton's battery held the heights, pouring a murderous fire into the advancing columns. The batteries on the various hijliH nobly assisted the battery on the heights, keeping up a continual steam of fire, each volley thinning the ranks of the enemy in a terrible manner. The battery of Capt. Miles C. Macon of Richmond covered itself with glory. The fire was opened on the storming regiments by this battery. The railroad gap, at one time, was filled with Yankees, when a well-directed shot from the battery exploded in their midst, killing about fifty of the hirelings. Capt. M.'s. battery was hotly engaged on the 11th, 12th, and 13th. and won the admiration of all the commanding officers by the coolness and precision exhibited by the men in handling their guns. Astonishing to say, not a man of this company was killed or wounded. One rifle piece of Capt. Ewbank's battery, near the centre, has been engaged. On Saturday afternoon it played upon the Yankee brigade driven by Hill's men in front of Barnard's. This portion of the battery had been under a heavy fire for three days past, but has fortunately suffered no loss. The remainder of Captain Ewbank's guns are so disposed that they will perform efficient service when called upon, in which event we expect to chronicle a brilliant achievement on the part of this gallant command. Late in the afternoon comes the magnificent charge of a regiment of Hood's division, across the plain, routing of a brigade from the line of the railroad, and while under the concentrated fire of a battallion of artillery, driving the eneniv from the skirt of the woods before mentioned capturing 41 prisoners, representing six regiments, and, on the whole, covering themselves with ineffaceable glory. REBEL KILLED AND WOUNDED. I have been at some pains to ascertain our loBfl, and. as the result of my effort, have obtained from Dr. J. C. Herndon, the polite sur geon on Geu. Lee's staff, the following state- f ment, which may ie reiiea upon a3 correct : m'laws' division. Barksdale and Cobb's brigade Ill Semines' brigade 1 Iv e r s h a w ' s b r i d a ge 259 Straggling cases 0 Anderson's division. Wilcox's brigade 9 Mahono's brigade. 5 ranson's division, Cook's brigade. '205 A. P. Hill's division, about ...600 Earlv's and Taliaferro's commands, about.300 D. H. Hill, about 10 Washington artillery, about 23 Total......... 1,649 Picket's division 40 Hood's division 100 Total 1,759 The Great Baitle of Fredericksburg:. From the Richmond Dispatch, Dec, 10. The battle of Saturday taking into consideration the number of men engaged, the quantity of artillery and other pngines of war employed, tho valor of tho combatants and the skiil of the Generals, was probably the greatest battle ever fought on this continent. It was fought bv nearly two hundred thousand men and several hundred pieces of artillery. It was contested for ten hours. It resulted in a complete victory to the Confederate forces. Wc say complete, becauee, although the enc- my's fprce was not annihilated killed, cap ' turedor dispersed the failure was entirely owing to the near neighborhood of their strongholds, to which they fled when thev tound tnemseives unaoie to face our forces any I longer in the field. Had the battle been fought'twenty miles this side of the Itappa- hannock river there woulrt have been suvh a . rout as the world did not witness in the forty- , . , , - . , r ' ' ; six years that elapsed .vetween the b ittje of Waterloo and the firm batt of Ma.-ae s. As it was, it has proved to the Yankees that no superiority of number or of preparation can : avail them in a pitched battle with the forces ! of the Contederacy r-a truth so patent ami so 1 . . - . ... . often exenu: fled that we i.elieve thev are.iow,u 1-"'" " r"1-' uauu.uein -4 the only people on earth who venture to deny -r - . it. Our loss has been heavy, but bears no comparison whatever to that of t)e enemy. '-We have to regret about twenty-foe hundred killed.-wounded and missing, while according to the report of those best skilled in making estimates of this description, their loss does not certainly fall short of ten thousand, 8nd in all probability, greatly. exceeds it. This will not be regarded as at all improbable when we take into consideration the relative position of the opposing armies. The Confederates were on the heights, which rendered them accessible to cannon. The Yankees were in low grounds, subjected to a murderous fire of artillery and musketry as they advanced. Every shot told and those who witnessed it say that thesiaugh ter was awful beyond anything yet witnessed in the war. General Longstreet succeeded in getting possession of a long stone wll on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, and in placing a whole division behind it. The Yankees, with more bohlnesss than they usually exhibit on such occasians, attempted to ge, possession of it. They were repulsed with unparalleled slaughter in every attempt, and at. last broke and fled in confusion. It seems to be doubted whether General Lee permitted the enemy to come over, or whether he could have prevented it had he tried. It seems to us that he had every reason to wish them to coma over. lie had selected his field of battle, and had thoroughly studied it, as Napoleon had done the field of Austerlitz. when he fell back thirty miles to draw his en emv to it. and as Wellington is said to have done at Waterloo. He had an army full of confidence in themselves and in him. The disparity of force was not so g't as to render victory at all improbable when the composition of the two armies and the animating spir it of each are taken into consideration. If thev were determined to pass, he could have hardlv prevented them, since they had posses sion of the heights on the Stafford side, and crowned them with inumerable batteries. What may have been his motive it is impossible for us, of course, to say: but we understand one of his officers, very high in rank, expressed himself, in strong terms, anxious above all things for them to come over, and try their fortunes on the very ground which was the theatre of the battle several weeks ago. This is the tenth pitched battle in which Ger.tral Lee has commanded within less than six months, and in all of them he has been vic torious. No other campaign except tltat of Italy in 1796, and that of France in 1814, pres ents such a result. Our people are cheered by the reflection that their armies are commanded by two generals who have no rival in the art of war Lee on the Rappahannock, and Johnston in the Southwest. They are as superior to the Yankee generals in every qualify that constitutes the military chiefs as the soldiers they lead are to the thieves and cutthroats that Lincoln has sent to subjugate thpni. Burnside and the Administration. In an article on "The Political Situation," the New York World has the following just remarks : It may be true that the same A Jministrtion which removed MeCltdian because he did not obey a peremptory oruer to advance against Lee and attack him, gave Burnside full discretion to attack when, where, and how he pleased; but what then is the country to think of its consistency or its judgment? Why practice this unrelenting urgency on McClel-lan, if there were no military reasons which would make the same stringent authority necessary over his successor '! Why do so self-siultifvinfr a thing as to remove one comman der under the pretext that he did not obey orders, to replace him by another with no orders to obey ? If the more skillful, more experienced, more accomplished General could not be allowed to exercise his own judgment, whv allow this privilege to his confessedly, less competent successor? The attempt of the Administration to shield itself from blame by inn-king a scape goat ol Burn-ude is a trick that s innot succeed. There is no pretense in any quarter that Burnside acted against orders ; if he acted without orders, and perpetrated a great military blunder, that fact is the strongest of all possible reasons for arraigning the Ad r.in-istratmn for its substitution for an incompetent General for a good one. The administration appointed Pope, and he gave us Bull Hun number two ; it appointed Burnside, and he gave us Ball's Bluff multiplied by ten. To offer the incompetency of these generals in exculpation of itself from the blame of their failures, is the most damaging admission the Administration can make. If incompetent they should not have been appointed ; or, it appointed in default of better material, they should not have had such mischievous latitude of discretion. Soldiers' Politics. There is nothing so mortifying and so full of bitterness to a Uepublican.'who looks forward to office and they are all casting sheep's eyes in that direction as to hear the letters of a soldier upon political affairs. We read, the other night, to a bevy of the Blacks, a few paragraphs which filled them with the utmost despondency, nd they could not open their mouths in extenuation or reply. The writer was a violent Abolitionist before going into the war, and, as will be seen by his letter his views on the nigger have undergone an dntire change. He says: "It suits me the way the elections went North. I will never vote another Abolition ticket in my life. Nineteen twentieths of the boys are down on the nigger. We had one hundred ofthem in our Iiegiment, and now we have not a dozen. They are mule teamsters, and the white men would cut the harness when they wci't to hitch up: and owing to the difficulties tney had to bejturned off. They are lazy and saucy. Sometimes they will lay in the sun all day. I have helped to bury a half dozen at a time in the sand. All the boys are opposed to Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, and they are all tired of the war. It is a d d nigger war, and I wish it was oyer. I have fought for the nigger just about as Jong as Lwant to." We see letters every day from Republican soldiers containing exactly thesame sentiments as the above. They were made to believe that the Republican party was not an Abolition party, and that the war was not an Abolition war, but now that they have their eyes opened, they are sick of their bargain and want to get out of it, 0Af r-Hoit Fnm the Washing u ( hxa .-.u-r. SUICIDE OF CAPT. J0HS ELWC0D ! Another Victim of Govcrsicic&st Tyr aziaiy Dispatches from Washington City of the Cd instant announce that the night before, Cup- , , , tm... t?i,i .. j - i . i ism JQhn El wood committed suicide in i.mo r . . , . , , , ,, , Old Capitol prison, where he had been rom.aed, by order of the Goye-nment, for a month or more. It is stated in the game dispatches that Captain El wood had been arrested for aiding , . , , , . through against the Government ;" ar-d th tt lie had confessed his guilt, since his confine ment ;" and one paper states that his confess sion fiad been written out and given to Secrs-i tary Stanton; that Elwood wanted to retract it, but the Secretary would not return it, and the dispair thus caused had lei him to Cvin mit suicide, by cutting his throat, -This-is the material portion, of all that lias been made known to the pubiio of this-one of the very saddest occurrences of these sad times. Captain John Elwood was brrn in Ohio ; but has resided in East Bethlehem township in this county, for some years pre vious to his untimely death. In 1857 he was appointed by President Buchanan, a lieuteu ant in the regular army ; and he was not appointed from Kentucky, as some accounts state. Subsequently he was promoted to a captaincy, lje married a Miss Benjl, iiaugh ter of Beall. of Beallsville in this con ty, and lias o ie child ; who wife and child remain at his late residence. They were not in Washington City at the time of the melancholy occurrence, as the fal.e lisptches concerning it state. At the time of his arrest Capt. Elwool was engaged in his ofi'.;.-ial duties in New York City a a paymaster or disbursing agent of the Government, He was taken and put into the OI j Capitol pris n,anl there kept in cloe confinement, wjiliOi't any formal charge ever being made against him, and deprived totally of a trial or investigation of his pretended offense until the morning of Decembei 3, when he is found in his lonely cell a cold, mangled corpse. It is said in the dispatches coming to us by telegraph (Score tary Stanton, supreme censor, is to be held responsible for what it says) that lie died by his own hands, peih-tps so. It may be hot so! Who can tell whether his murderer was himself or another, when the deed must have been unwitnessed ? Those who knew Elwood his high honor, lofty courage his independence and integrity of spirit - will render his memory the charitable homage of n doubt, at least, that lie was his own distroyer. But whether he laid fatal hands upon hip own life or not. his blood is not all upon his own skirts. The authors anil ritHiutaincr of tike infamous system of oppression, thatt-eenii' to have been brought to something like a devilish perfection under the administration of Mr, Lincoln they are guilty of Ei wood's blood. They are just as much guilty as ihey are of the sacrifice of that poor m.-in that died iu the St. Louis prison, only an hour or two bt Toie h?s cirtificate of discharge certifying that there were no grounds for the charges aairjsfc him was carried into his cell. The charge now laid against h'ni, is fraud or embezzlement. That is a legal, not a po litical or military, odense. Why then was hp not treated as other offenders against law ? The courts are trying such offenses every day. He was imprisoned at the nod of a Cabinet Secretary and held in a. Government bastile. That (onvinces i s that fraud had really noth ing to do with his punishment. Hip independent advocacy of Democracy had made hi:n odious to an intolercnt administration; and we know that that crime has sent more than one guiltless person to a dungeon. There is a dark, damning mystery about this tragic cftfo, It ought to be scrutinized and the truth umdo known. There is a fearful guilt somewiicrr, About the time of his arrest, there drove up iu a carriage one day to the house ot Cap tain Xl wood, in this county, two men and a woman emmissaiiea sent out from Washing ton City. They entered the house tenanted at the time by no ones but Mrs. Elwood, her child, and a niece of hers and, turning the-key in the lot k as they entered, they proceed ed to search the house. From garret toce'lar everything was rummaged over. Mrs. E!i wood and her neice were conducted into q, room by the woman fttd stripped of every ar tide of clothing not accepting their stocking' in a pretended search after evidence of Capt, Elwoodi's treason ! Everything in the shape ol paper about the house was taken and carried away b these same faithful deputies of the Government. TJie deed of Captain TU woods farm articles of agreement for the building of a barn due biilsand notes of hand all of his private pajers were taken! AH th's was in the search after proof i I Captain Eiwood's treason, or, as it is sometime more mildly termed, sympathy with Hm'siou ! It is needles to say that they found none ; for a truer man to his government nver breathed than Caprain Elwood. All this goes to prove, though, the real cause of his imprisonment; and serves to reveal more clearly the guilty nature ot the. oppression that in the end ro ceived his life in satisfaction of its utmost dvj- mands. From the llartfurd Times. Shameful Facts. A private letter from a soldier in Burnside's army, to his mother in thi city, written from Falmouth a day or two previous! to the disastrous battle of Fredericksburg, states that on the day when the letter was written, there were brought into the dead-house twelve dead bodies of our soldiers who had been frozen to death while on guard duty ! He says several of the men were on guard duty without pantaloons! having had for two or three weeks only over-, coats and drawers ! The mercury on two nights sunk to 13 and 14, and ice six inches thick floated in the river. Their shoes were in many instances almost worthless, being Massachusetts contract shoes with soles glued on; and the men were, moreover, half starved. The writer had just received some money from home, and he says he devoted 25c. of it to' tho purchase of a quart of meal, which he stirred up with water and boiled; and he adds that it was the bst dinner he had had for two or three months. There ia a terrible responsibility resting on the heads of guilty contractors, 'quartermasters, and shoddy patriots generally, who hai? directly done so much to cause these evil. - While white soldiers are absolutely freezing to death in Virginia, our Government is having 50,000 suits of clothes made in New Yorl; for negroes! And many thousands of dollars, worth of lifcnecessariea arc pert abroad to help the suffering poor of Great Britain, while on? own poor soldiers die of nakedness and starva tion at booet V t". J